Device and system for mechanical measurement of biomaterial

Abstract

A test device applies a defined mechanical load to a soft biomaterial such as a cell culture and a microscope forms a volume image data set showing the strain field or displacement field occurring in the medium. The data set is processed to determine fundamental mechanical properties of the cell, its interaction with the surrounding medium, or its responses loading or deformation of its surrounding medium. The device may also be used to calibrate or determine fundamental mechanical properties of the medium. The device includes a linear actuator that bears against the specimen, and adapted for a volume imaging device such as a scanning laser confocal microscope that forms a volume image data set of the specimen. The specimen may be supported in a Petri dish and is preferably imaged from below by an inverted microscope. Preferably the actuator device attaches to or forms the specimen stage of microscope. Digital correlation of volumes in the data set allow computation of modulus, stress distribution and other mechanical characteristics of cell-matrix interactions, as well as mechanical properties of the cell and the matrix in response to changing loads, evolving chemical or ionic environment and growth phases. The test device may be operated to measure local mechanical parameters, to evaluate or design tissue-engineered implants, and to explore the mechanical properties of tissues, cells and cellular processes a micrometer scale with high accuracy.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This international application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 576,008 filed Dec. 15, 2011 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, entitled “Test device for mechanical properties of soft biomaterial”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF INVENTION[0002]Equipment for measurement, investigation, screening, or observation of biomaterial.BACKGROUND[0003]The present invention relates to equipment for investigation, screening or observation of biomaterial such as tissue, cells and biomatrix, and to methods of using the equipment.[0004]Cell mechanics and adhesion are widely recognized to play a central role in cell-tissue interactions and cellular functioning but their exact nature and mechanism are far from understood. Cells have been shown to mechanically probe and feel their surrounding microenvironment by applying displacements and exerting physical forces on their extracellular matrix. These phenome...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a device that can hold and image a specimen, like a cell, while applying a controlled load or impulse to observe its response. The device can capture a 3D image of the specimen and analyze it to determine the amount of stress and force applied during the experiment. The system can also determine the mechanical properties of the specimen and screen for cells or tissue cultures that have desired strength or modulus. Overall, the invention can provide a better understanding of cell behavior and interactions with the surrounding environment.

Problems solved by technology

However the measurement of forces and of mechanical characteristics on a cellular scale remains difficult and is often approached on an ad hoc basis that yields only non-calibrated comparative estimates as measurements.

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